It seems to be a tradition.  Every year, on May 22nd, we are working a wedding at Appleford.  Last year, Tasha worked with Jasmine, and this year, we got to work with Tonya!  This wedding was very special to us because she found us through her friend, Angela.  It was great to see so many familar faces at Tonya and Peter’s wedding!

Tonya was looking for a coordinator because she had so many great ideas but needed help executing them.  From tissue paper pom poms to krispy kreme donuts, a blue vintage desk, and fun lawn games, it was important to her that these all be set up.  The Appleford Estate is beautiful as is, but with the pops of color she chose, it really livened up the venue.  Through various set ups throughout the space, guests really had the opportunity to explore the grounds and take in the beauty of the venue.

We first started off on the side lawn overlooking a tiny stream.  One of Tonya’s background was Indian, so she had Margaux of Fleur De Lis create a birch tree interpretation of the mandap.  VIPs (such as immediate family) sat in the front, next to the mandap.

Tonya and Peter are members of the Episcopalian church in Philadelphia, so the pastor from The Church of the Holy Trinity, Rev. Neale, officiated.

Before the ceremony started however, they kicked off the party right, with some donuts and beverages, like french pressed coffee.

Don’t those glazed donuts look divine?  I’m proud to say I did not cave and eat any!

Tonya created color programs – in torquise and purple. 

Yes, that is a gold heat embossed stamp that was hand stamped by the bride!

After the ceremony, guests were escorted up through the rose garden where they were greeted by a beautiful vintage table that was painted and repurposed by Tonya’s best friend.

On the table, family wedding photos were displayed along with their wedding witness signatures.

After guests signed, they were invited to some lawn games, or chess in the side balcony, or to just walk around and enjoy pictures of their friends and family and their beautiful dogs.

I thought this was a great representation of the full times of their wedding:

The brunch was actually a seated tasting menu, prepared by Peach Tree and Ward.

Beautiful table scape! I love that the couple was not afraid of color, and this was a beautiful color scheme.

Their cake, provided by Tartes Bakery, was so adorable.  I gingerly placed those cute birdies on the cakes.  Phew! But totally worth it; how adorable!

And the beautiful couple enjoying their first dance.  Look how in love they are! 

and here are some more details and pics of the newlyweds!

This was one of my favorite details.  Liz was a good friend of the couple, who had recently passed away after battling breast cancer.  I actually remember her from Angela and Matt’s wedding.  In her memory, they had a table where guests can take some cool gifts in rememberance of Liz.   You can learn more here: http://ww5.komen.org/

In the background of the picture above, you can see some pillows that Tonya’s friend made!  He also made large window seat cushions too.  Super comfy and added great pops of color!

I loved all the bridesmaids dresses.  I am a fan of same color but different dresses.  It add a little something chic to the wedding, and also the girls are much more comfortable in dresses they find that would fit their bodies best.  I thought these ladies looked stunning!

Tonya and Peter ended their Sunday brunch wedding by being sent off by their friends and family as they rolled away in a handsome Rolls Royce. 

Special thanks our new friend and great photopher Jonathan of JDN Photography!

Additional wedding professionals:

Day of coordination: cHill Weddings – Christina with Tasha for the assist

String quartet and DJ: EBE

Limo: Secrets

Tux: Sagets Formal Wear

Hair: Bella by Design

For previous post with more pictures: http://chillweddings.com/2011/05/sneak-peek-of-tonya-and-peters-wedding/

All images courtesy of Doug and Company from Candid Moments.

I feel like I became close friends with Kristen and Jon while planning this wedding.  cHill Weddings does pride itself on giving a personal touch to planning, but we had the best time planning their beautiful Lake House Inn wedding.

Just 1 week after our first meeting, my phone rang, and I picked up, ” Hi Kristen!” and it was all over.  We hit it off, and planning began with great fury, and we had fun in the process.

One of the many great traits of this couple is their gratuitude.  They loved picking their vendors from referrals, and as a result, they really trusted in all of us, and I must say, all the event professionals involved really worked well as a team.

Well, here’s my recap on their glorious wedding day…

As the weeks got closer to the wedding day, the weather forecast was not very promising.  Being late May, we were getting hit by storm after storm, with threats of thunderstorms and even tornadoes.  We were starting to get nervous, as their beautiful ceremony was slated to be outdoors overlooking the lake, but I held out hope.  Rain RARELY comes on any of the cHill Weddings, and gosh darnit, it was not going to rain on Kristen and Jon’s wedding day.

And it didn’t.  Instead, we had a very hot and humid day, typical of a Philadelphian summer, but I was happy, because I knew rain would have been worse.

I came that morning to check in on my bride, and she was getting her hair done by the very talented Dar Clinton, and makeup done by Cheekadee.  We were ahead of schedule!

The boys were also getting ready at the Lake House Inn, and the photographer, Candid Moments, had some fun taking photos of the guys who were all looking so dapper.

About a year ago, I posted the pros and cons of seeing each other before the ceremony.  Kristen and Jon actually read it, and took my advice, and decided to do a “first look” photo session.

I love this picture because it was the moment Kristen had been envisioning for a long time.  The pure joy is so evident here.  What you don’t see is Jon’s smile too, and the anticipation as he waited for his bride to walk through the double doors.  You also don’t see me here, but I’m behind those doors playing bouncer (keeping friends, family, and guests from interrupting their very special moment).

Doing a first look session is so nice because you have time to take some amazing photos together (and also while you have great light).  Wedding party and family photos are not involved, so you really have the time to soak in realization together that you’re getting married soon!  The more relaxed you are, the better your images will be, so if you’re the nervous type, I recommend you think about doing a first look session with your photographer before the ceremony.

A few hours later, Kristen made her way down the aisle, which was no easy task.  She entered from the top of the stairs of the inn, then walked down two flights of stairs in heels, then down a path, then down a few more steps…. THEN down the aisle.

She was amazing; smiling (no, beaming) the whole time.

I love these trees that Margaux created for their wedding.  It framed the entrance of the aisle so perfectly, and really made their ceremony unique style-wise.  Kristen liked to call these “her trees!”

Seriously, look at this view.  It was breath taking.  And note, no rain.

A memorial table was set at the front of the ceremony, were Jon’s late mother was honored throughout the wedding.

This arbor Margaux designed was also stunning, and she is miracle worker.  The arbor barely fit, and by barely, I mean, it didn’t.  Unless she drilled into the cement, there wasn’t going to be a way to make the arbor fit… but somehow she did, and she shrugged it off like, “Easy Peasy, no big deal.” That’s why I love the people I work with!

Kristen was Miss Creative DIY throughout the planning process.  She made wedding programs as fans, which the guests really appreciated.  While it may not have rained, it was hot, and the fans kept everyone comfortable during the ceremony.

I absolutely LOVE the first picture of the new Mr. and Mrs.  When I remember Kristen and Jon, this is how I remember them always because this is how they are!  Kristen is a kindergarten teacher who is exuberant and joyful in her daily life. Jon is a business owner, calm and collected, but always with a smile on his face.  I thought they complemented each other very well.  I also admired how he was constantly looking out of her and making sure she was happy.  It was a sign of a very good husband.

Lake House Inn has a unique reception space.  It looks like a tent, but in fact is a permanent structure.  The ceilings are lined (gorgeous), and lighting is included.

The back wall is a wall fountain, and the floors were decorated with floral designs.

Each table number represented their age, so the table number holders had pictures of Kristen and Jon at that age.  It was great to walk around and look at their pictures and see how they grew up.

The placecards were made of speciality paper that could be planted along with the seeds. In the middle of each pink flower, we had placed a colored rhinestone to indicate their meal option.

Margaux got these amazingly fluffy dark pink peonies, one of my favorite flowers.  Her bouquet was stunning, and very flagrant.  Kristen also put together a s’mores treat box, that included skewers, chocolate, and marshmallows.  These were for the guests who were staying at the inn for the post wedding fire pit celebration.  In the white silk satchels were favor notes and also a stone.  Playing off Kristen’s maiden name, the guests placed a stone in a large glass vase, and left a note in a book, which was their guest book.

One of my most favorite things to do during planning is attending a cake tasting.  Van Earls Cakes not only have the most amazing cakes, their tastings are also to die for.  We left with an extreme sugar high, but with content bellies and too many flavors too choose from!  So Kristen and Jon made each tier a different flavor.  Guests loved having a cake flavor option.  They also had butlered sorbets on mini sugar cones for dessert.  It was so delicious.  I only had about twenty (I kid!).

The seating chart was designed by my very talented friend and graphic designer, June.  She makes all the seating charts for my clients and does an amazing job in typing in all the decor elements of the wedding.

Kristen surprised her groom with his very own grooms cake, made with this favorite flavors from the cake tasting.

For centerpieces, we had varying designs, from the cylinder clusters with submerged flowers to the low arrangement with flowers cascading onto the tables.  Kristen also created her own menus, so guests knew what exactly was going to be served for dinner.

A great wedding is never complete without the bride rapping at the end of the night, with DJ Tom Carroll accompanying.  It was fantastic and got the crowd roaring!

And here we are, after many many months of planning together… happy and tired… yet so excited that this was only the beginning for Kristen and Jon.

I can’t wait to see where their love take these two crazy birds.  I know soon they’ll be headed to Bora Bora, but afterwards… who knows!  But thank goodness we’re friends on facebook, because I know whatever they do, they’ll do it with passion and gusto and have a fabulous time!

Cheers to Mr. and Mrs. Letko!  And thank you for inviting me to be a huge part of your planning and your wedding.  It was such a joy to work with you, and a blessing.

Also special thanks to the professionals listed below for all their hard work and for doing what they do so well!

Wedding planner: cHill Weddings with assist from Tasha

Photography: Candid Moments

Flowers: Fleur de Lis

Venue: Lake House Inn

Officiant: Rev. Kent Foster

Catering: Jeffrey Miller Catering

Music: Magical Sight and Sound

Cakes: Van Earls Cakes

Calligraphy: Jasmine Lee  jasminewlee@gmail.com

Seating chart: June Park Designs

Makeup: Cheekadee

Hair: Dar Clinton

This past April, cHill Weddings worked with Ardent Management to create another successful bridal showcase!

cHill Weddings main part was to create three design tables.  I worked closely with Margaux of Fleur de Lis, whose work I love and admire.

The first table: Tea Party Table

I really loved this romantic table.  It was fun to create.  It would work great for large estate Victorian weddings, or a bridal shower.

Second table: Wine Country

Here are some other images provide by the wonderful Jeremy Evans Thomas (http://www.lifeinblue.com/) of the showcase.

Here is Estelle of Van Earls Cakes (http://www.vanearlscakes.com/).  Yes, their cakes are amazing, and red velvet is MY FAVORITE.  They were wonderful and provided a slice of cake for everyone!

The photographer of all these great images (and many on my blog) are from Jeremy (http://www.lifeinblue.com/).  Here is his booth.  Jeremy really provides candid and true to life images – a great photojournalist.  He’s one of my favorite photographers to work with. Thanks for all the pictures!

More vendor booths:

Here is my girl Liz, one of the founders of Dulcetta Designs (http://dulcettadesigns.etsy.com/).  She manned my table which was shared with Dulcetta (my sister company) showing off some of the awesome things we made for samples.

I love this picture of my friend Tanti Lina of http://www.papertini.com/.  She’s one of my favorite vendor friends.  We’ll be doing a blog post about her soon!  Here she is being cute, but it’s also probably because she was loving those signature drinks the bartender was making.